


The first night

by ottertrashpalace



Series: Shamless Stucky Fluff [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky comes home, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not CACW Compliant, Recovery, Stucky - Freeform, baths, homecomimg, look friends this is literally just a complete self indulgence on my part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 15:16:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6860335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ottertrashpalace/pseuds/ottertrashpalace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky finally comes home to Steve<br/>OR<br/>I completely give in to the overwritten trope here it is</p>
            </blockquote>





	The first night

Steve stared unseeingly at the TV. He could never quite bring himself to watch the news, even though he knew that he should be staying up to date on current events and all that. What had happened to plain old sensible newspapers?

With a defeated sigh, he grabbed the remote and flicked the screen off. He leaned back in the old armchair he'd gotten with the small apartment, listening to the hum of the heater and trying not to think too much. Of course, the silence couldn't last too long.

_Thump_

Steve was on his feet immediately. He heard something--someone-- stirring in the next room, obviously having gotten in somehow through the locked window.

He clunches his jaw, silently grabbing his shield from where it sat against the wall. He had been so sure that no one, not HYDRA, not S.H.I.E.L.D., could find him here...

His heart pounding, he slowly began to push the door open, shield gripped in front of him, one hand on the gun in his waistband. Please, for the love of God, he didn't want to fight anyone tonight...

A tall, dark figure was standing in the hallway, hunched beneath the window. He had long, matted hair, and he was frozen in a defensive stance...

_it was Bucky_.

Steve felt like he'd been knocked sideways. His guard faltered, though he was still unwilling to drop his shield. How much of the Winter Soldier was left in the man who stood before him?

Threat aside, Bucky looked terrible. He was bleeding in a couple places, his face was streaked with filth, and he looked rather gaunt. He'd ditched his tactical gear, and was wearing an oversized hoodie and ratty jeans. The two men stood at opposite ends of the hall, staring at each other uncertainly.

"...Buck?" Steve began, hesitating. Bucky looked kind of stricken.

"I... I remembered... you." He managed. His voice was cracked and disused.

Steve let his shield drop to his side. "We were friends. We still can be, if you want."

"I..." Bucky sort of swayed, like he was going to faint. Before he could think better of it, Steve stepped forward automatically and caught him, bracing him with his hand on Bucky's shoulder. He felt Bucky freeze, and lifted his hands like he'd brushed a hot stove. "Shit, shit, sorry-- I didn't mean-- do you wanna sit down?" Steve stammered. His thoughts were wildly incoherent, and he was actually surprised he managed to get a full sentence out.

Bucky took a deep, shuddering breath, and nodded. He let Steve lead him into the living room, and perched gingerly on the couch. Steve's had absolutely no idea what to do.

He'd read--and nearly vomited on-- the Winter Soldier files Natasha had acquired, and he couldn't pretend that he hadn't been fantasizing about this moment for the past month and a half, but now that it was actually happening, well, that's a whole different matter, isn't it? He had no idea what mental state Bucky was in, or whether he was really helping his old friend or not.

"Buck... how much do you remember?" Steve asked after a while. He tried to make his tone light, undemanding.

There was a long silence.

"You... mostly you. You were small, and you... drew, a lot. You were sick a lot too, and... tea, with thyme?"

This was more than Steve had been expecting. He inhaled sharply. "Yeah, Buck, that's right... you used to take care of me. You'd make me tea." Bucky was silent. "Buck, if you want, you can stay here. I... I could help you remember, and you'd be safe here, I promise."

Bucky seemed to contemplate this. In the end, he just nodded. Steve felt the tension in his body drain away in an instant. Bucky was back. Well, maybe not all of him, but he was here, and that was enough for now.

Bucky went to stand, and Steve saw his face contort in pain. "How about we clean you up a little bit?" Steve suggested (don't give orders, give him a choice, always give him a choice). Bucky stiffened, and all at once it occurred to Steve that getting "cleaned up" probably wasn't the most appealing thing to Bucky. He considered how he could phrase it more aptly. "I... I just want to dress your wounds, and if you want, you can use my shower..."

"No shower," Bucky said suddenly, and Steve acquiesced. "All right, no shower. How about a bath?"

"... Okay."

Steve turned and led the way down the hall to his bathroom, turning his back to Bucky in an intentional show of trust. He started the water and got his fairly extensive first aid kit out of the cabinet. Super soldier though he was, he did need medical attention from time to time, and on those occasions he much preferred to adminster it to himself.

Bucky was hovering at the door. "Go ahead and sit if you'd like," Steve told him, and he did so, almost mechanically. Steve made sure to work slowly and softly, and started with the laceration on Bucky's flesh arm. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, he really had no idea how to address the metal one. He'd worry about that when he came to it. After dealing with the cuts on his arms and legs, Steve sat back on his haunches and checked Bucky's breathing. He seemed more tired than anything else, and he hadn't said anything since Steve had started.

"Buck, could you take your shirt off? There's some cuts on your chest..." Steve trailed off hopelessly. Bucky met his eyes briefly and began to pull of his shirt reluctantly. His chest was a patchwork quilt of every injury you could possibly imagine, ranging from pearly knife scars to puckered bullet wounds to rough, discolored burns. His skin stretched far too snug against his ribs, and Steve felt his heart thump against his throat. Determinedly, though, he carried on, and stitched up the gash that Bucky carried down the side of his abs. He plastered it over, and backed off again.

"I'm done now... thank you. For letting me. Uh, the bath's ready, if you want, I mean. I'll, uh, give you some privacy... Just let me grab you some clothes." Bucky nodded again, and Steve slipped away to grab some sweats and a t-shirt. He left them on the counter, closing the door softly behind him.

He waited tersely on the couch, watching Nickelodeon on mute, until the bathroom door clicked open again. Bucky padded out, wearing Steve's too-large clothes. Steve turned towards him.

"You look tired."

Bucky stiffened. "... It's not an issue," he said almost immediately, and Steve couldn't help wincing a little.

"That's not what I meant, Buck," he said gently, "I just though you might want some shut-eye. Guest bedroom's right down the hallway, to the right. I'll show you."

Steve got up, and went down the short hall to the room. He opened the door, and Bucky peered in. Steve realized that he was scanning for bugs.

"I checked the place when I moved in, and it's clean, but you can look again if you'd like..."

Bucky stiffened again, but this time he just sighed. "I-- thank you." He met Steve's eyes for the first time since they had first seen each other a few hours prior, and Steve thought he almost started crying.

He shook his head, breaking eye contact. "Least I can do, Buck. You can be here 'slong as you like, or... you can leave. 'Course, I'd sure like it if you stayed, but that's just me, and it's your choice." Bucky just nodded.

"Alright," Steve said, softer, "g'night, Buck."

"G'night." Came the reply.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the read! I live off of kudos and comments welp so pls do  
> Also this is my first published work in the mcu so please let em know if I missed anything or went ooc, that sort of thing. Cheers!


End file.
